What do you need to apply?

In order to apply to any of the above competitions you must be a lawyer with the ability to translate legal/legislative texts into at least two other languages. Your second language (French) and third languages must be at the C1 level. This is defined as the ability to:

(The highest level is C2 which is defined as a mastery or proficiency.)

As there are only a small number of positions available for each competition, it is likely that you will be screened from the very outset. This means that if there are 20 times more applications than places you will face a further screening. (For example: There are 10 places available for the EPSO/AD/304/15 competition; 10 × 20 = 200. If there are more than 200 applications then there is a screening of your application form as well.)

Pre-Selection for EPSO AD 7 Competitions

If the number of applications exceeds the threshold you will be judged on the following selection criteria:

Professional experience in the field of legal translation.

Professional experience of drafting legal texts.

Professional legal experience acquired in a business environment.

Some kind of qualification in translation.

Knowledge of other European languages.

What EPSO Tests do I need to pass?

There are a number of different EPSO tests that you need to pass in order to get through this EPSO concours. There are two different sections to these tests. No more than 20 times the number of places will be asked to take stage one of these tests, e.g. for EPSO/AD/305/15 the maximum number of candidates taking these two tests is 15 × 20 = 300. For the second stage the maximum is 4.5 e.g. 15 × 4.5 = 68 candidates, which means that these tests are used as a way of removing a large proportion of applicants, and you will want to be at your best to ensure that you are not one of them.

Stage 1: EPSO Translation Test

There are two tests in this section; each one assesses your language skills. In the EPSO translation tests you have to translate a passage from your first language into your second and third languages. The time limit for each of these tests is 110 minutes. You have to score at least 50% (40/80) in each of the tests to have any chance of being invited to the next stage of the EPSO concours.

Stage 2: EPSO Assessment Stage

EPSO Verbal Reasoning test:Taken in your first language, this is a 20 question test to be taken in 35 minutes. The pass mark is 50%. Learn about the principles of this test on our verbal reasoning page.

EPSO Numerical Reasoning test: Also in your first language, this 10 question test gives you a time limit of 20 minutes. To learn more about this test and get preparation see our dedicated pages.

EPSO Abstract Reasoning Test: In this test you have to answer 10 questions in a 10 minute time frame. Learning how to answer these questions is tricky so see our dedicated pages for tips and tricks and get our EPSO training pack for complete preparation.

What are the EPSO Assessment Centre exercises?

There are three tests at the EPSO assessment centre and each of them is used to assess you against a specific competency. You need to score highly for each and every section of the test so make sure you are fully prepared:

General EPSO interview and a separate competency-based interview: Assessing the following competencies:

Communicating

Resilience

Working with others

Leadership

Each of the competencies is marked out of 10. You need to score at least 3 for each one as well as score at least 40 out of 80 for the competencies. If you score highly enough on each of the competencies you will be offered a place on the reserve list. The deadline for these AD competitions is 23rd June 2015.

How can we help?

Preparing for each stage of the EPSO concours is challenging. At JobTestPrep we have many materials to ensure you go into your EPSO tests in the best possible way. We hope you have enjoyed this blog and look forward to helping you perform at your best with our EPSO training packs.